1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to child carrier attachments for bicycles, and to bicycles provided with child carriers.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have, in the past, been various proposals for attaching a seat for a child to a bicycle.
Many of the prior proposals involved mounting the seat above the rear wheel of a bicycle, behind the saddle. However, such an arrangement has various disadvantages. Thus, for example, a child seated behind the saddle of a bicycle has its view largely obstructed by the rider of the bicycle, and the weight of the child over the rear wheel of the bicycle complicates the riding of the bicycle. Also, it is difficult for the rider to mount or dismount and, while riding, the rider is unable to observe the child.
The prior art also includes various proposals for mounting a child carrier between the saddle and the handle bars of the bicycle. This location of the seat has the advantages that the child can have a good view forwardly of the bicycle and is given a sense of security by being located between the arms of the rider, while the rider can observe the child.
In the present inventor's U.S. Pat. No. 5,104,188, issued Apr. 14, 1992, there is disclosed a bicycle seat for a child which, when provided on a man's bicycle, is mounted on the cross-bar of the bicycle by means of a tightener located below the seat and engaging the underside of the cross-bar. When used with a women's bicycle, which lacks a horizontal cross-bar, it is necessary to mount the seat on a separate bar, which is clamped to the steering post of the bicycle at one end of the bar, the opposite end of the bar being hingedly connected to a vertical post secured to a diagonal bracing bar forming part of the frame of the bicycle.
The present inventor has found, by practical experience, that it is desirable to be able to support the child carrier without attaching it to the horizontal cross-bar of a man's bicycle frame, because brake and derailleur cables usually extend along the horizontal cross-bar of a man's bicycle frame and, also, because the tubular components of bicycle frames vary considerably in diameter, length and angle.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,532, issued Dec. 15, 1981 to John F. Reminger, there is disclosed a bicycle carrier having an elongate support which is formed, at opposite ends, with notches for receiving the front post and the saddle post of a bicycle. This carrier is intended, in particular, to be attachable to a bicycle without the use of tools, and is provided at its rear end with a slidable rear member. The slidable rear member is formed with a notch for receiving the saddle post and is intended to be slid rearwardly, relative to the support, so as to locate the saddle post in the notch in the slidable rear member when the carrier is attached to a woman's bicycle. When it is attached to a man's bicycle, the slidable rear member is removed. In that case, the support is mounted on the cross-bar of the man's bicycle, with projections on the underside of the support engaging the cross-bar, and with the notches in the opposite ends of the support slid into engagement with the front post and the saddle post of the bicycle.
The carrier disclosed in the aforesaid U.S. Pat. No. 4,305,532 is particularly intended to be installed on and removed from a bicycle without the use of tool. When it is being installed onto a man's bicycle, therefore, it is simply pushed into position, and must therefore be of a predetermined length to fit a predetermined bicycle frame size. The notches at opposite ends of the carrier are of fixed width and are not adjustable to fit tubular bicycle components of various sizes. This prior art carrier is therefore not adjustable to fit bicycles of different sizes.
It would be apparent that in either case, the support is only loosely secured to the bicycle frame, and consequently there is a risk that it may easily be displaced from the frame when the bicycle it is for example subjected to an impact or a more or less violent movement by the child while in motion or when the rider of the bicycle is mounting or dismounting from the bicycle or when the rider is installing the child in, or removing the child from, the carrier. In connection with the latter, it will be appreciated that the rider must somehow support the bicycle while lifting a child into or from the carrier. This is often an awkward manoeuver, accomplished by leaning the bicycle against the riders body. The child will often wriggle while being lifted. It is therefore very important that the carrier should be fixedly connected to the bicycle instead of being only loosely attached.